SHAFAQNA – Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman who will reportedly replace his father, King Salman, in the near future has increased pressure on people in Qatif province to marginalize his opponents and reinvigorate his power, a prominent Saudi analyst said on Monday.

“There is no doubt that bin Salman is attempting to stabilize the bases of his power in Saudi Arabia and wants to marginalize his enemies in the ruling family with the help of the war against Yemen and massacre of people in Qatif and establish control over all power lifelines inside the country,” Ali Al-Ahmed, the director of the Washington-based Institute for Persian Gulf Affairs, said on Monday.

He also blasted the international community and the neighboring states for keeping mum about al-Saud’s crimes against people in Qatif.

In recent months, Qatif has seen a hike in tensions, with Saudi regime forces, equipped with artillery and heavy weapons, launching frequent attacks against the besieged town of Awamiyah to quell the protests under the pretext of clashing with “militants” there.

The protesters in Awamiyah are angry at a plan by the regime to destroy the al-Mosara neighborhood, the old quarter of the town, and turn it into a commercial zone in defiance of warnings both by locals and the United Nations.

Some seven people have been killed by the Saudi military in the town over the past days.